Compare the2025 Kia Sorento HybridVS 2025 Acura MDX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the Sorento Hybrid and MDX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento Hybrid has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The MDX’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Kia Sorento Hybrid is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Acura MDX, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Sorento Hybrid	MDX
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-19 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-17 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
37 MPH Brights	-34 MPH	-33 MPH
37 MPH Low beams	-33 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.1 sec	No Warning

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Sorento Hybrid’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The MDX doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Both the Sorento Hybrid and MDX have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Sorento Hybrid has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The MDX’s Rear Cross Traffic Monitor doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Sorento Hybrid and the MDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Sorento Hybrid is safer than the Acura MDX:

	Sorento Hybrid	MDX
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	29%
Neck Stress	168 lbs.	304 lbs.
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	59 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	212/405 lbs.	463/521 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Leg Forces (l/r)	81/191 lbs.	392/458 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Sorento Hybrid is safer than the Acura MDX:

	Sorento Hybrid	MDX
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	280	549
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	40 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The Sorento Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The MDX’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento Hybrid 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Acura covers the MDX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the MDX ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sorento Hybrid’s warranty.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Sorento Hybrid’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the MDX’s camshafts. If the MDX’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 30 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is ranked 18th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Acura is rated below average.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sorento Hybrid gets better mileage than the MDX:

			MPG
Sorento Hybrid
	FWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	36 city/36 hwy
	AWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	34 city/34 hwy
MDX
	FWD	3.5 SOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.5 SOHC V6	19 city/25 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6	17 city/21 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Sorento Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The MDX doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Sorento Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The MDX requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Sorento Hybrid higher (6 out of 10) than the Acura MDX (4). This means the Sorento Hybrid produces up to 12.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the MDX every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Sorento Hybrid’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the MDX are solid, not vented.

The Sorento Hybrid stops much shorter than the MDX:

	Sorento Hybrid	MDX
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Sorento Hybrid’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the MDX’s (37.9 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

Chassis

The Sorento Hybrid is 8.8 inches shorter than the MDX, making the Sorento Hybrid easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Sorento Hybrid has 1.8 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more rear headroom, 2.2 inches more rear legroom, .6 inches more third row headroom, .5 inches more third row legroom and 1.9 inches more third row hip room than the MDX.

Cargo Capacity

The Sorento Hybrid has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The MDX doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Sorento Hybrid’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The MDX doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Sorento Hybrid and the MDX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sorento Hybrid is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The MDX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Sorento Hybrid and the Acura MDX, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its December 2021 issue and they ranked the Kia Sorento Hybrid EX higher than the Acura MDX SH-AWD.

The Kia Sorento outsold the Acura MDX by 54% during 2023.

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